Penguins defenseman Ryan Shea is expected to hit the free agent market.
In a recent article for The Athletic, Pierre LeBrun reported that Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Ryan Shea is likely to test free agency next month.
"Like Raddysh, there’s some late-bloomer action to the 29-year-old Shea, a fourth-round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks in 2015. He plays up and down the D pairings and also plays both sides. Because of his age, the roster-in-transition Penguins can’t get into the kind of term he will command," LeBrun wrote.
If the Penguins end up losing Shea this off-season, it would certainly be a tough blow to their blueline. Shea broke out in a major way for the Penguins this past season, posting new career highs with six goals, 29 assists, and 35 points in 80 games. With this, he became a nice part of the Penguins' blueline.
However, when noting that Shea just had a career year, it would make sense if he ends up testing the free agent market on July 1. He is in a prime position to land a significant raise from his previous $900,000 AAV. This is especially so with this year's free agent market being weak.
It will be interesting to see if Shea ends up hitting the market on July 1. If he does, the Penguins will need to work hard to land a replacement for him on the right side of their blueline.